Method for controlling unload of a mobile farm implement

ABSTRACT

A method of unloading mobile farm implements is presented. Unloading the mobile farm implement is accomplished by transmitting commands to unfold an auger arm and to open a container door and by monitoring weight measurements from the implement.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser.No. 61/799,957, filed on Mar. 15, 2013, the entire disclosure of whichis incorporated herein in it is entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to a handheld control device forinteracting with a mobile farm implement and, more particularly, to ahandheld control device that is configured to communicate commands orsensor information with the mobile farm implement.

2. Description of the Related Art

To control and monitor mobile farm implements such as grain carts andtractors, various sensors and controllers have been placed in the mobilefarm implements to collect data or carry out commands. On some mobilefarm implements, the sensors and controllers have been wired to connectto display terminals mounted in the mobile farm implements. The displayterminal on a particular mobile farm implement may display datacollected from the sensors on that implement or commands that may beissued to the controllers on that implement. To facilitate communicationbetween display terminals and electronic hardware on mobile farmimplements, some manufacturers of mobile farm implements and somemanufacturers of display terminals have adopted the same communicationprotocol in their devices. These mobile farm implements may use thecommunication protocol to share information about its functionality withterminals that use the same protocol.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A handheld control device, method, and non-transitory computer-readablemedium for interacting with mobile farm implements is presented.

According to one aspect of the application, the system, method, andcomputer-readable medium automates unloading of mobile farm implements.In an embodiment, the handheld control device receives, from a userinterface of the handheld control device, a first command to assistunloading of agricultural material from a mobile farm implement. Itdetermines whether a speed of the mobile farm implement is at or below afirst threshold. In response to a determination that the speed of themobile farm implement is at or below the first threshold, a secondcommand to the mobile farm implement to unfold an auger arm of themobile farm implement may be transmitted. In an embodiment, adetermination may be made as to whether weight measurements from themobile farm implement have reached a steady value and whether a powertakeoff speed is at or above a second threshold. In response to adetermination that both such conditions are satisfied, a third commandto the mobile farm implement to open a container door may be transmittedto the mobile farm implement. In an embodiment, a determination may bemade as to whether a subsequent weight measurement from the mobile farmimplement is at or below a third threshold. In response to adetermination that the condition is satisfied, a fourth command may betransmitted to the mobile farm implement to close the container door anda fifth command to the mobile farm implement to fold the auger arm.

In an embodiment, the handheld control device, method, andcomputer-readable medium may interface with multiple mobile farmimplements using multiple communication protocols. In an embodiment, thehandheld control device may detect presence of a first mobile farmimplement. A determination may be made that the first mobile farmimplement uses a first communication protocol. The handheld controldevice may further determine whether a description of the firstcommunication protocol is stored on the handheld control device. It maycommunicate, using the first communication protocol, a first command orsensor information with the first mobile farm implement in response to adetermination that the description of the first communication protocolis stored on the handheld control device. In an embodiment, presence ofa second mobile farm implement may be detected by the handheld controldevice. A determination may be made that second mobile farm implement isusing a second communication protocol, where the first communicationprotocol is different than the second communication protocol. Thehandheld control device may determine whether a description of thesecond communication protocol is stored on the handheld control device.It may communicate, using the second communication protocol, a secondcommand or sensor information with the second mobile farm implement inresponse to a determination that the description of the secondcommunication protocol is stored on the handheld control device.

In an embodiment, the handheld control device, method, andcomputer-readable medium may wirelessly collect sensor data from mobilefarm implements.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic view of a system having mobile farmimplements and a control device for interfacing with the mobile farmimplements, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic view of an interface converter box on atractor for interfacing with a control device or with other mobile farmimplements, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 illustrates a schematic view of an interface on a grain cart forinterfacing with a control device or with other mobile farm implements,according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 illustrates a schematic view of various modules being executed ona control device, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 5A and 5B illustrate example views of a user interface on acontrol device, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 illustrates a flow chart showing example operations of a methodfor communicating with different mobile farm implements that usedifferent communication protocols.

FIG. 7 illustrates a flow chart showing example operations of a methodfor automating unloading of a mobile farm implement.

FIG. 8 illustrates a flow chart showing example operations forwirelessly receiving sensor data from a mobile farm implement by ahandheld control device that is located outside the mobile farmimplement.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

While the present invention may be embodied in many different forms, anumber of illustrative embodiments are described herein with theunderstanding that the present disclosure is to be considered asproviding examples and not intended to limit the invention to thepreferred embodiments described and/or illustrated herein.

FIGS. 1-4 illustrate an environment in which a handheld control device100 interacts with mobile farm implements, such as a grain cart 300 or atractor 200 towing the grain cart, according to an embodiment of thepresent invention. According to one aspect of the invention, the systemprovides a handheld control device that may automate at least part of anunloading of agricultural material from a mobile farm implement. Theautomation may include issuing commands to the mobile farm implement ina desired order and may include automatically monitoring unloadingconditions. According to another aspect of the invention, the systemprovides a handheld control device that is able to communicate withmultiple mobile farm implements using different communication protocols.For example, the control device may communicate with one mobile farmimplement using an ISO 11783 (i.e., Isobus) protocol and may communicatewith another mobile farm implement using an ISO 11898 (i.e., CANbus)protocol. According to yet another aspect of the invention, the systemprovides a handheld control device that may wirelessly collect sensordata from a mobile farm implement while the control device is locatedoutside the mobile farm implement. For example, a driver in a harvestermay wirelessly collect sensor data from a grain cart that is beingloaded by the harvester.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, a handheld control device 100may communicate directly with the grain cart 300, or may do so throughanother mobile farm implement, such as the tractor 200. For example, thehandheld control device 100 and the grain cart 300 may communicatedirectly via a USB or IEEE 802.11 (Wi-FI™) or other interface, or thegrain cart 300 may have no USB or IEEE 802.11 capability and rely on thetractor 200 to provide such capabilities to communicate with the controldevice 100.

The handheld control device 100 may be a mobile phone (e.g., iPhone®), atablet computer (e.g., iPad®), or any other handheld control device. Thehandheld control device 100 may include a transceiver 101 forcommunicating with a mobile farm implement, a display 104 and auxiliaryinput device 105 (e.g., a keyboard) for communicating with a user of thecontrol device 100; a processor 103 and memory 107 for executing modulesthat implement various functionality of the control device; and astorage device 106 for storing data, instructions, and otherinformation. In an embodiment, the modules may include an operatingsystem 110 (e.g., iOS®) that provides a platform on which anothermodule, such as control module 120, executes. For example, the operatingsystem 110 may allow the control module 120 to be downloaded as anapplication and to execute on the handheld control device 100. In anembodiment, the memory 107 may provide temporary storage for the moduleswhile they are being executed, while the storage device 106 may providelong-term, non-volatile storage for the modules. The components of thehandheld control device 100 may be located inside a housing of thedevice 100, or may be externally attached to the housing of device 100.

Mobile farm implements such as the tractor 200 and the grain cart 300may interact with the handheld control device 100 by, for instance,sending sensor information to the handheld control device 100 orexecuting commands received from the device 100. For example, in theembodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, the grain cart 300 may provideinformation about a container 301, a conveyor belt 302, or an auger 303,and may execute commands related to these components.

For the container 301, a load cell sensor 310 may measure a weight orvolume of agricultural material held by the container 301, while acontainer door controller 320 may be configured to open or close a doorof the container 301.

For the conveyor belt 302, a conveyor belt sensor 312 may measure a beltspeed of the conveyor belt 302, while a conveyor belt controller 321 maycontrol the belt speed, tension, or any other property of the conveyorbelt 302.

For the auger 303, an auger sensor 314 may measure a position orrotational speed of the auger 303, while an auger arm controller 322 oran auger spout controller 323 may control movement of the auger arm orauger spout, respectively. If either the conveyor belt 302 or the auger303 is actuated by another power source such as a power takeoff, then apower takeoff sensor 313 may measure the rotational speed of the powertakeoff (e.g., the PTO RPM).

For the grain cart itself, a rollover sensor 315 may detect a weightdistribution across the grain cart 300 or any other indication of anuneven load that may tip over the grain cart 300. A grain cart speedsensor 316 may measure a speed of the grain cart 300. Control of themobile farm implements, including farm implements with a bin orcontainer to load material, is discussed in more detail in co-owned andco-pending application entitled “Weight-Based Chute Control for a FarmImplement,” Application No. 60/799,099, filed on even date herewith(Mar. 15, 2013), the entire content of which is incorporated herein byreference.

The tractor 200 may, in an embodiment, likewise have a sensor 201 formeasuring a property of the tractor 200, such as speed of a powertakeoff 211 used to provide actuation power to the grain cart 300. In anembodiment, it may have a controller 205 for controlling a component(e.g., steering component, transmission component, etc.) on the tractor.

In an embodiment, the transceiver 101 of the control device 100,interface converter box 210 of the tractor 200, and grain cart interface330 of the grain cart 300 may facilitate communication in the systemillustrated in FIG. 1. The interface converter box 210 on the tractor200 may provide a USB, 802.11, or any other communication interface forcommunicating with the transceiver 101 on the control device 100. Theinterface converter box 210 and the grain cart interface 330 may eachprovide an interface, such as an ISO (e.g., ISO 11783) interface forcommunicating with each other. The communication may be physicallyconducted through ISO connector 209 on the tractor 200 and ISO connector309 on the grain cart 300.

In an embodiment, the interface converter box 210 may provide electricalpower from a power source 203 (e.g., battery) on the tractor 200 to thehandheld control device 100 or the grain cart 300. The electrical powermay be used to, for example, recharge any batteries on the handheldcontrol device 100 or power sensors and controllers on the grain cart300.

FIGS. 2-3 illustrate various components of the interface converter box210 and grain cart interface 330. In an embodiment, the interfaceconverter box 210 may relay a signal (e.g., data or command) between thehandheld control device 100 and the grain cart 300 without modifying thesignal. In an embodiment, the interface converter box 210 may receive asignal from the handheld control device 100 and convert the signal to aformat that will be recognized by the grain cart 300. Similarly, theinterface converter box 210 may receive a signal from the grain cart 300and convert the signal to a format that will be recognized by thehandheld control device 100. In an embodiment, the conversion may beunnecessary because the control device 100 itself may perform theformatting based on descriptions of different communication protocolsused by mobile farm implements.

In an embodiment, the interface converter box 210 may include atransceiver 211 configured to communicate with the handheld controldevice 100 and the grain cart 300, and may include a processor 213 andmemory 215 configured to generate signals having the format that will berecognized by the device 100 or cart 300. Format information for amobile farm implement may be based on a communication protocol beingused by the mobile farm implement. The formatting may be performed bythe interface converter box 210 on the tractor 200, or may be performedby the handheld control device 100.

In an embodiment, the memory 215 may cache information passing betweenthe control device 100 and the grain cart 300. In an embodiment, thememory may act as a buffer that stores information intended for thedevice 100 or the cart 300, and send the information at a later time.

The grain cart interface 330 may, according to an embodiment, include atransceiver 331 configured to communicate with the handheld controldevice 100 or the tractor 200. It may have a memory 335 configured tostore information from the control device 100, information generated bysensors on the grain cart 300, or any other information. A processor 333may be included to control communication or any other function on thegrain cart 300. In some instances, the processor 333 may replace one ormore of the controllers illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 illustrates various sub-modules of the operating system 110 andcontrol module 120 of the handheld control device 100. As discussedabove, the operating system 110 may provide a platform on which othermodules, including control module 120, operate. The platform may includea software management system that is configured to download controlmodule 120 as a mobile app or any other software application and toretrieve any updates of the control module 120. Each module may includecomputer-readable instructions that are loaded in the memory 107 andexecuted by the processor 103.

In an embodiment, the operating system 110 may include sub-modules formanaging components of the handheld control device 100, such as memory,user input, communication, and display. For example, the sub-modules ofthe operating system 110 may include a communication sub-module 111configured to manage the transceiver 101, the auxiliary input device105, or any other communication interface on the control device 100. Thesub-modules may further include a display sub-module 113 configured tomanage the display 104, and may include a memory management sub-module115 configured to manage the storage device 106 and the memory 107.

In an embodiment, the control module 120 may include various sub-modulesthat implement functionalities of the module. For example, acommunication sub-module 121 may allow the handheld control device 100to communicate with the tractor 200 or grain cart 300. The sub-module121 may rely on the communication sub-module 111 of the operating systemto access the transceiver 101 and transmit or receive information. Whencommunicating with the grain cart 300, the sub-module 121 may beconfigured to place the communication in a format that will berecognized by the grain cart 300, or may rely on another device to doso.

The user interface sub-module 123 may allow the control device 100 togenerate menus, forms, or any other user interface. The user interfacemay display information to users and collect information from them. Thesub-module 123 may rely on communication sub-module 111 of the operatingsystem 110 to retrieve information from a user input device (e.g., thekeyboard), and may rely on display sub-module 113 of the operatingsystem 110 to display information.

The command sub-module 125 may allow the control device 100 to determinewhat commands are available for a particular type of mobile farmimplement. The sub-module 125 may be configured to generate a command tobe outputted to the mobile farm implement. The generated command may bein a format that the mobile farm implement will recognize, or may beconverted to an appropriate format by another device.

The calculation sub-module 127 may allow the control device 100 todetermine when the tractor 200 or grain cart 300 satisfies or deviatesfrom a particular condition, such as a threshold related to load cellweight, power takeoff, weight distribution, or any other condition. Thecondition may affect, for example, when a command may begin to executeor when an alarm on the mobile farm implement needs to be activated.

The automation sub-module 128 may be configured to generate a sequenceof commands corresponding to a desired action for a mobile farmimplement, such as an unloading action on the grain cart 300. Thesub-module 128 thus provides a greater degree of automation and frees auser from having to manually invoke each step of the desired action.

The update sub-module 129 may be configured to receive an update to thecontrol module 120, including an update to computer-readableinstructions of the module or to information used by thecomputer-readable instructions.

FIGS. 5A-5B illustrate example user interfaces generated by the controlmodule 120 (e.g., by its user interface sub-module 123) and displayed onthe display 104 of the control device 100. The user interface may allowa user to monitor operation of a mobile farm implement, provide userinput for the operation, or invoke a command on the mobile farmimplement. The user interface may display labels, text boxes, commandbuttons, status bars, or any other user interface. For example, the userinterface illustrated in FIG. 5A includes a menu that presentsinformation about loading of the grain cart 300, available commandsassociated with the loading, and various other information.

Labels 151 a-151 c in FIG. 5A are generated on the user interface toidentify what type or category of information is being presented. Theinformation may include, for instance, an area that the grain cart 300has covered and an amount of material that has been loaded onto thegrain cart 300. Label 151 a, named “Field,” may be displayed next to avalue that shows the covered area and amount of loaded material for aparticular field, while label 151 b, named “Total,” may be displayednext to a value that shows the total covered area and total amount ofloaded material. Label 151 c, named “Distance,” may be displayed next toa value that shows a distance that the grain cart 300 has traveled inthe particular field and next to another value that shows a totaldistance that the grain cart 300 has traveled.

Values of various parameters in FIG. 5A may be displayed in outputfields, such as text boxes 153 a-153 h. The text boxes 153 a-153 f maydisplay the areas and amounts described above, while text box 153 g and153 h may display calculated values, such as how much area is beingcovered by the grain cart 300 every hour or how much products is beingloaded into the grain cart 300 every minute.

In an embodiment, the user interface may present command buttons andicons on the user interface. A command button may trigger an action onthe mobile farm implement, while an icon may be a status icon thatconveys a status of the mobile farm implement or of the handheld controldevice 100. The command buttons may be virtual buttons presented on atouch screen, thus reducing the number of physical buttons needed by thehandheld control device 100. Example command buttons are illustrated inFIG. 5A. Command button 155 a allows a user to tare a weight measurementprior to loading or unloading. Command button 155 b may trigger aloading or unloading sequence on the grain cart 300. Command buttons 155c and 155 d may adjust various quantities, such as a thresholdcorresponding to the loading or unloading sequence. Command button 155 emay allow a user to return to a home menu.

In an embodiment, status icons 157 a-157 c may indicate a time, a statusof the application, such as of control module 120, or any other status.

FIG. 5B illustrates another user interface that is different from theuser interface displayed in FIG. 5A. Different functions may usedifferent menus or other user interfaces. For example, the menuillustrated in FIG. 5A may be used to output information to a user,while the menu illustrated in FIG. 5B may be used to collect informationfrom the user. The information may be collected through text boxes,radio buttons, drop-down menus, any other form element, or any otherinput element. For example, FIG. 5B illustrates input text boxes 153i-153 m for collecting a farm ID, field ID, track ID, truck ID, andtruck driver ID, respectively, from a user. In an embodiment, thehandheld control device 100 may be configured to auto-fill a user inputelement if it can retrieve or determine the value corresponding to thatelement. For example, farm ID may be determined based on GPS capabilityof the control device 100, while truck driver ID may be determined froma user profile stored on the control device 100.

In an embodiment, the interface illustrated in FIG. 5B may also presentcommand buttons, such as command button 155 a and 155 e. As shown in thefigure, command button 155 a may be a toggle button that is switchedbetween an on and off state, and its graphics may change correspondingto whether the command is in an on or off state.

FIGS. 6-8 illustrate example methods for interfacing with or controllingmobile farm implements, such controlling the tractor 200 or the graincart 300 with the control device 100 or any other control device.

In an embodiment, a control device such as the control device 100 mayprovide the advantage of supporting different mobile farm implementsusing different communication protocols. For example, one mobile farmimplement may use the ISO 11783 (i.e., Isobus) communication protocol,while another mobile farm implement may use the ISO 11898 (i.e., CANbus)communication protocol. The handheld control device may thus consolidatecontrol of multiple mobile farm implements to one control device andreduce cost for operators of multiple mobile farm implements. Oneexample of a method 1000 of using the handheld control device tocommunicate with multiple mobile implements is illustrated in FIG. 6.

At an operation 1010, presence of a first mobile farm implement may bedetected, such as by the communication sub-module 121 on the controldevice 100 or any other control device. The detection may be automatic,or may receive assistance from a user of the control device. Forexample, the control device may receive a sensor signal that identifiesthe presence of the first mobile farm implement, or may receive a userinput indicating that the first mobile farm implement is present. Insome cases, the received sensor signal may be a response to a pollingsignal previously sent by the control device to poll for presence ofmobile farm implements.

At an operation 1020, a determination may be made that the first mobilefarm implement uses a first communication protocol. In an embodiment,the determination may be based on the first mobile implement's model,manufacturer, or category (e.g., whether it is a tractor, grain cart,harvester, etc.). In an embodiment, the determination may be based on asignal from the first mobile implement that identifies the communicationprotocol it is using. The determination may be automatic, or may beassisted by user input.

At an operation 1025, a determination may be made on whether adescription of the first communication protocol is stored on the controldevice. In an embodiment, the description may detail, for example, how acommand to the first mobile farm implement may be formatted ortransmitted, or how information from the first mobile farm implement maybe interpreted. The description may be stored on, for example, thestorage device 106 or the memory 107 of the handheld control device 100.

At an operation 1030, the description for the first communicationprotocol may be retrieved from a server in response to a determinationthat the description of the first communication protocol is not storedon the control device. In an embodiment, the server may be remote fromthe control device. For example, the control device may retrieve thedescription from a server over a wireless phone network such as acellular network.

At an operation 1040, if the description of the first communicationprotocol is stored on the control device or is retrieved from theserver, communication of command or sensor information may be made withthe first mobile implement using the first communication protocol. As anexample, the control device may format the command to comply with thefirst communication protocol, and may use the protocol to interpretsignals (e.g., signals carrying sensor information) received from thefirst mobile farm implement.

At an operation 1050, presence of a second mobile farm implement may bedetected by the control device. The detection may be performed at a sametime as the detection at operation 1010, or may be performed at adifferent time. For example, the first mobile farm implement and secondmobile farm implement may interact with the control devicesimultaneously, or the control device may interact with one mobile farmimplement after it has finished interacting with another mobile farmimplement. Like in operation 1010, the detection may be performed by thecontrol device 100 or any other control device, and may be doneautomatically or with assistance from a user.

At an operation 1060, a determination may be made that the second mobilefarm implement uses a second communication protocol. The firstcommunication protocol may be different than the second communicationprotocol. For instance, the two communication protocols may formatcommunicated information differently, or may otherwise specify differentways to encode the communicated information for transmission.

At an operation 1065, a determination may be made on whether adescription of the second communication protocol is stored on thecontrol device. In an embodiment, the description may be stored on thestorage device 106 or in the memory 107 of the control device 100, likeat operation 1025. In response to a determination that the descriptionof the second communication protocol is not stored on the controldevice, the description may be retrieved from a server, such as theserver at operation 1030, or any other server. Like in operation 1030,the server may be remote from the control device, and may be accessedover a wireless phone network.

At an operation 1080, if the description of the second communicationprotocol is stored on the control device or is retrieved from theserver, command or sensor information may be communicated with thesecond mobile farm implement using the second communication protocol. Asan example, the control device may format commands to the second mobilecommunication based on the second communication protocol and maytransmit the formatted command using a timing specified by the secondcommunication protocol. The control device may decode signals, such assignals carrying sensor data or other information, using the secondcommunication protocol.

In an embodiment, a control device such as the control device 100 mayautomate at least a portion of tasks performed by mobile farmimplements. FIG. 7 illustrates example operations of a method 2000 ofautomating at least part of the unloading of agricultural material froma mobile farm implement, such as the unloading of a grain cart. In anembodiment, the unloading may involve unfolding an auger of the mobilefarm implement after it has slowed to a certain speed, then opening acontainer door after a power takeoff actuating the auger has reached asufficient speed, and monitoring a weight of the mobile farm implementto determine when to stop the unloading. The control device may thusautomatically invoke these operations in a desired order and underdesired conditions. The automation may free a user from having tomanually initiate each operation in the unloading sequence and fromhaving to manually monitor whether a desired condition for eachoperation is being satisfied.

At an operation 2010, an unload assist command may be received from auser interface of a handheld control device, such as control device 100.In an embodiment, the user interface may include a touch screen, and theunload assist command may be invoked through a button on the touchscreen. In an embodiment, operations invoked by the unload assistcommand may be determined by the automation sub-module 128.

At an operation 2020, a determination may be made as to whether a speedof the mobile farm implement is below a first threshold. For example,the control device 100 may receive sensor information from the graincart speed sensor 316 to determine whether the grain cart 300 is at orbelow a certain number of miles per hour. If the speed of the mobilefarm implement has not slowed to the first threshold, the speed maycontinue to be monitored continuously or at discrete intervals.

At an operation 2030, the mobile farm implement may be commanded tounfold its auger arm in response to the determination that the speed ofthe mobile farm implement is below the first threshold. For instance,after the control device 100 determines that the grain cart 300 is at orbelow the threshold number of miles per hour, it may transmit an augerunfold command to the tractor interface converter box 210 or to thegrain cart interface 330. The interface converter box 210 or the graincart interface 330 may then cause the auger arm controller 322 to outputsignals that cause an unfolding movement of the auger 303.

At an operation 2040, a determination may be made as to whether weightmeasurements from the mobile farm implement has reached a steady value.The weight measurements may be used to determine how much agriculturalmaterial is left in the mobile farm implement during the unloading.Before the agricultural material is unloaded, however, the measurementsmay fluctuate because the mobile farm implement is moving. For instance,movement over an uneven surface may create acceleration or decelerationthat changes a weight measured by a weight sensor. In an embodiment, theweight measurement values may reach a steady value when the speed of themobile farm implement slows to the first threshold. In an embodiment,the measurements may be determined to be steady if they fluctuate withina predetermined range. As an example, the control device 100 maydetermine whether weight information from the load cell sensor 310fluctuates at most within a predetermined range.

At an operation 2050, a determination may be made as to whether a powertakeoff speed is above a second threshold. The power takeoff may beactuating the auger, which transfers agricultural material during theunloading. After the power takeoff engages the auger, the power takeoffmay need to reach a threshold number of rotations per minute before itcan be loaded with the agricultural material. As an example, the controldevice 100 may receive sensor information from the power takeoff sensor313 and use that information to determine whether a rotational speed ofthe power takeoff 212 and the auger 303 has reached a second threshold.If the weight measurement at operation 2020 has not reached a steadyvalue or the PTO speed at operation 2050 has not reached the secondthreshold, they may continue to be monitored continuously or at discreteintervals.

At an operation 2060, weight information from the mobile farm implementmay begin to be recorded from the mobile farm implement in response tothe determination that the weight measurements have reached a steadyvalue and that the PTO speed has reached the second threshold. Theweight information may be recorded to monitor the unloading process asagricultural material is transferred out of the mobile farm implement.For instance, the control device 100 may begin to record, at the storagedevice 106 or the memory 107, weight information from the load cellsensor 310.

At an operation 2070, the mobile farm implement may be commanded to opena container door in response to the determination that the weightmeasurements have reached a steady value and that the PTO speed is abovethe second threshold. In an embodiment, the container door may beseparating the auger from the agricultural material being held in thecontainer. Once the auger and power takeoff has reached a sufficientspeed to be loaded, the container door may be opened so that theagricultural material can be transferred by the auger to another storagelocation (e.g., to a truck).

At an operation 2080, a determination may be made as to whether themeasured weight of the mobile farm implement is below a third threshold.In an embodiment, the third threshold may correspond to a weight of themobile farm implement when it is empty of agricultural material. In anembodiment, the third threshold may correspond to a user-specifiedweight. For instance, the user may wish to unload only a limited amountof agricultural material from the mobile farm implement. As an example,the control device 100 may determine whether a measured weight indicatedby the load cell sensor 310 has reached or fallen below a thirdthreshold.

At an operation 2090, the mobile farm implement may be commanded toterminate the unloading process. In an embodiment, the terminationcommand may include a command to close the container door and fold theauger arm. For example, the control device 100 may transmit commands tothe interface converter box 210 or the grain cart interface 330, whichmay in turn cause the container door controller 320 and the auger armcontroller 322 to close the container door and fold the auger arm,respectively. In an embodiment, recording of weight measurements fromthe mobile farm implement may be stopped as part of the termination ofthe unloading process.

In an embodiment, the commands and monitored conditions may be executedor monitored in the order that is illustrated. In an embodiment, theymay be executed or monitored in a different order. In an embodiment,automation of the unloading of the mobile farm implement may involveadditional, fewer, or different commands or conditions to be monitored.

In an embodiment, a command or monitored condition may be specified by auser. In an embodiment, an order in which commands are to be executed bythe mobile farm implement may be specified by the user. For instance,the control device may display a menu showing a plurality of commandsthat may be executed during an unloading sequence and a plurality ofconditions that may be monitored during the unloading sequence. The usermay be allowed to select which commands are to be executed, whichconditions are to be monitored, and an order in which the commands areto be executed and in which the conditions are to be monitored. In anembodiment, the user may specify parameters for the commands orthresholds for the monitored conditions.

In an embodiment, a control device such as the control device 100 mayallow a user located outside of a mobile farm implement to wirelesslycollect information, such as sensor data, from the mobile farmimplement. For example, a driver of a harvester may use the controldevice to wirelessly collect sensor data from the grain cart or anyother mobile farm implement. In an embodiment, the driver may performthis data collection while sitting in the harvester, and does not needto walk up to the grain cart or to a tractor towing the grain cart. FIG.8 illustrates example operations of a method 3000 of wireless datacollection.

At an operation 3010, presence of a mobile farm implement may bedetected by a handheld control device located outside the mobile farmimplement. For example, the handheld control device 100 may detect amobile farm implement (e.g., grain cart) while the control device 100 isbeing used by a user in another mobile farm implement (e.g., harvester).The presence may be automatic, or may be assisted by user input.

At an operation 3020, a determination may be made as to whether themobile farm implement has stored sensor data. In an embodiment, a querymay be transmitted to the mobile farm implement to ask whether it hasstored sensor data. In an embodiment, the determination may be based ona category, model, or manufacturer of the mobile farm implement. Thecategory, model, or manufacturer may also be determined through a queryto the mobile farm implement.

At an operation 3030, if the mobile farm implement is determined to nothave stored data, a notification that there is no stored data may bedisplayed on the handheld control device. If the mobile farm implementis determined to have stored data, a sensor data request may bewirelessly transmitted by the handheld control device to the mobile farmimplement at an operation 3040. In an embodiment, the command mayrequest all sensor data stored on the mobile farm implement. In anembodiment, the command may specify what sensor data is being requested.

At an operation 3050, sensor data may wirelessly received by thehandheld control device from the mobile farm implement. In anembodiment, the wireless communication may be based on a preexistingprotocol such as IEEE 802.11, IEEE 802.16, Bluetooth®, or any otherwireless communication protocol.

From the above it will be appreciated that the handheld control deviceof the present invention may automate at least part of an unloadingprocess of a mobile farm implement, interact with multiple farmimplements using multiple communication protocols, or wirelessly collectdata from a mobile farm implement. It will also be appreciated thatvarious changes can be made to the system without departing from thespirit and scope of the appended claims. For example, in an embodiment,a handheld control device is not limited to an iPad® or iPhone®, but mayinclude an Android® mobile device, a Windows® mobile device, or anyother handheld device. In an embodiment, the control device may have noauxiliary input device, and rely on only a touch screen for input. In anembodiment, the handheld control device may be configured to convertsensor information from a mobile farm implement into a spreadsheetformat. In an embodiment, the handheld control device may be configuredto communicate sensor information or other information via e-mail or SMSmessaging. In an embodiment, the handheld control device may beconfigured to select from among multiple languages in which to presentinformation on its user interface. In an embodiment, the handheldcontrol device may be configured to convert values for sensorinformation between metric units and non-metric units.

In an embodiment, the mobile farm implements of this application are notlimited to tractors or grain carts, but may include a harvester,combine, or any other mobile farm implement.

In an embodiment, the grain cart interface in the grain cart may lack aprocessor.

In an embodiment, sensors in the mobile farm implements may include anultrasonic sensor, a camera, a hitch weight sensor, a tongue weightsensor, or any other sensor.

In an embodiment, a mobile farm implement may have an interfaceconfigured to interface with a physical joystick and to execute commandsbased on signals from the joystick.

In an embodiment, any spout of a mobile farm implement may be controlledvia proportional control or discrete control. Proportional control maymove the spout based on a value of a command signal, whereas discretecontrol may move the spout based on a pulse width of the command signal.

It will also be appreciated that the above example components andoperations are illustrative only, and that an embodiment of the presentapplication may have fewer or more components or operations than thoseillustrated above, and have operations arranged in an order differentthan that illustrated above.

We claim:
 1. A method of automating unloading of a mobile farm implementhaving a container carrying an agricultural material such as grain orseed, wherein the mobile farm implement is connected to a power takeoffand includes an auger arm for unloading the agricultural material, andwherein the auger arm is foldable between a stored position and anoperating position with a handheld control device comprising a processorand a transceiver, the method comprising: receiving a first command toassist unloading of the agricultural material from the mobile farmimplement; determining, by the processor, whether a speed of the mobilefarm implement is below a first threshold; transmitting, by thetransceiver, in response to a determination that the speed of the mobilefarm implement is below the first threshold, a second command to themobile farm implement to unfold the auger arm of the mobile farmimplement; determining, by the processor, whether weight measurements ofthe agricultural material from the mobile farm implement have reached asteady value; determining, by the processor, whether a power takeoffspeed is above a second threshold; transmitting, by the transceiver, inresponse to a determination that the weight measurements theagricultural materials have reached the steady value and that the powertakeoff speed is above the second threshold, a third command to themobile farm implement to open a container door; determining, by theprocessor, whether a subsequent weight measurement of the agriculturalmaterials from the mobile farm implement is below a third threshold; andtransmitting, by the transceiver, in response to a determination thatthe subsequent weight measurement of the agricultural materials is belowthe third threshold, a fourth command to the mobile farm implement toclose the container door and a fifth command to the mobile farmimplement to fold the auger arm.
 2. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising receiving a user selection of the second command, the thirdcommand, the fourth command, and the fifth command before the firstcommand to assist the unloading of the mobile farm implement is receivedfrom the handheld control device.
 3. The method of claim 2, furthercomprising receiving a user input specifying the first threshold, thesecond threshold, and the third threshold before the first command toassist the unloading of the mobile farm implement is received from thehandheld control device.
 4. The method of claim 1, further comprisingoutputting a sixth command to the mobile farm implement to engage anauger of the auger arm with the power takeoff.
 5. The method of claim 1,further comprising recording subsequent weight measurements of theagricultural materials from the mobile farm implement in response to adetermination that the weight measurements of the agricultural materialsfrom the mobile farm implement has reached the steady value.